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Black Lives Matter Plaza

2020 establishments in Washington, D.C.AC with 0 elementsAfrican-American history of Washington, D.C.Black Lives Matter artDowntown (Washington, D.C.)
George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C.Murals in Washington, D.C.Squares, plazas, and circles in Washington, D.C.Streets in Washington, D.C.Use American English from June 2020Use mdy dates from June 2020
2020.06.05 Protesting the Murder of George Floyd, Washington, DC USA 157 34232
2020.06.05 Protesting the Murder of George Floyd, Washington, DC USA 157 34232

Black Lives Matter Plaza (officially Black Lives Matter Plaza Northwest) is a two-block-long pedestrian section of 16th Street NW in Downtown Washington, D.C. The plaza was renamed by Mayor Muriel Bowser on June 5, 2020, after the Department of Public Works painted the words "Black Lives Matter" in 35-foot (11 m) yellow capital letters, along with the flag of Washington, D.C., during the series of George Floyd protests taking place in the city.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Black Lives Matter Plaza (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Black Lives Matter Plaza
Black Lives Matter Plaza Northwest, Washington

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N 38.900973888889 ° E -77.036541111111 °
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Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter Plaza Northwest
20012 Washington
District of Columbia, United States
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2020.06.05 Protesting the Murder of George Floyd, Washington, DC USA 157 34232
2020.06.05 Protesting the Murder of George Floyd, Washington, DC USA 157 34232
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Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church
Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church

On June 1, 2020, amid the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C., law enforcement officers used tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from outside Lafayette Square surrounding streets, creating a path for President Donald Trump and senior administration officials to walk from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church. Trump held up a Bible and posed for a photo op in front of Ashburton House (the church's parish house), which had been damaged by a fire during protests the night before.The clearing of demonstrators from streets bordering Lafayette Square was widely condemned as excessive and an affront to the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly. Just before visiting the church, Trump delivered a speech in which he urged the governors of U.S. states to quell violent protests by using the National Guard to "dominate the streets", or he would otherwise "deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem".Former military leaders, current religious leaders, and elected officials from both parties condemned Trump for the event, though some of Trump's fellow Republicans defended the actions. The event was described by The New York Times as "a burst of violence unlike any seen in the shadow of the White House in generations" and possibly one of the defining moments of the Trump presidency. Civil liberties groups filed a federal lawsuit against Trump, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, and other federal officials, alleging they violated protesters' constitutional rights. General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later apologized for his role in the photo op.A June 2021 Interior Department Inspector General review of U.S. Park Police actions found that Park Police cleared Lafayette Square as part of a plan to erect fencing. The Park Police incident commander was reportedly stunned when Barr informed him of Trump's impending visit. That report also confirmed the use of tear gas by D.C. Metropolitan Police, revealed Park Police did not request deployment of Bureau of Prisons to the park, and reported that it was not known why U.S. Secret Service had deployed ahead of schedule, advancing on protesters before the Park Police had a chance to warn protesters to disperse. The report also indicated that Park Police commanders could not identify who gave the order to deploy or why radio transmissions were not recorded.